mlsweeten's reviews
229 reviews

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a heart wrenching book that is beautifully written. The focus is on two women in a family surviving war and abuse in Afghanistan. While it was anxiety inducing, it also put things in perspective. Worth all 5 stars. 

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was pretty wild. Laura is a fairly sheltered southern girl who begins at an all girl college in Massachusetts. She meets Carmilla who becomes her rival in a poetry class. Enter the professor who pits the girls against each other and blurs the lines of appropriate teacher behavior. Then you find out she’s not a regular human. Laura and Camilla fall in love which complicates things. There’s blood, death,  also some vampire sex.  I never felt bored while reading this. The story is told by Laura and Carmilla so it’s easy to follow their thoughts as things progress. The writing style is also very enjoyable. 

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I mostly liked this book. Annie is dumped by Sam, her boyfriend of 10 years. Annie then moves to a quaint town to restart her life and is befriended by Sophie. It doesn’t take long for Annie to realize Sophie is different, and powerful. I liked how Annie’s confidence grew with Sophie’s help. However, I found Sophie to be extremely possessive, bossy, and demanding of Annie’s time. If Annie needed time to talk to Sam, she didn’t owe Sophie an explanation. I wasn’t as thrilled about their weird friendship as other reviewers have been. Overall, it was fun to read and Ralph the spider was fantastic. 

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Magical, strange, and sometimes confusing. This was a fun book for book lovers but also had some serious themes. I really liked the three main characters telling their stories. 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Missouri Gothique Short Stories by Kimberly Bolton

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a book of short stories written by a local Missouri author. The stories are imaginative, rich with description, and creepy, perfect for the Halloween season. 

The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge by Martin Edwards

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

There were a lot of characters and subplots to keep track of. Overall this was a fun little mystery that takes place in a creepy English countryside village. 

Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I found this book to be entertaining and it held my interest. I’m not sure why anyone would expect a mobile home to survive a devastating hurricane though. Also the characters were pretty awful. I would hope most communities would pull together in a disaster instead of trying to kill each other. However, I do realize the book was not meant to be taken seriously. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book about a bunch of oddballs trying to take advantage of an awful situation. 

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This is a lighthearted, fun read if you like books about starting over in a different place. It takes place partially in London and Paris but mostly in Southern France. I do enjoy the writings of Peter Mayle.